When I think about Freedom Summer of 64, I think now 50 years later of the possibility that every young person of color has to pursue his or her dreams.

With a gentle breeze and Spanish moss draping from a tall tree on the grounds of Tougaloo College, I watched the graduation ceremony.

I knew I was on hallowed ground as I gazed at the historic Woolworth Chapel on the campus, a place where Freedom Riders and civil rights figures once gathered to plot strategy in the effort to gain rights for black citizens in the Jim Crow South.

The historic nature of the role of Tougaloo College has never been lost on me, but a significant moment at the graduation ceremony two weeks ago captured my mind only briefly. Later, I realized the significance of the moment.

During the graduation ceremony, Tougaloo honored the graduates of the school from 50 years ago.

The name Joan Trumpauer Mulholland was called. It didn’t register with me right away. I did a little research and found that Mulholland is one of the heroines of civil rights movement.

Trumpauer was 19 when she arrived in Jackson as a part of the Freedom Riders. She later attended Tougaloo College.

The then-19-year-old Trumpauer was part of the group of Tougaloo College students and others who held a sit-in at the white-only counter at the Woolworth’s five-and-dime store in downtown Jackson. Trumpauer and the other students were doused with ketchup, mustard and sugar by the white mob.

Some were even beaten.

As part of the Freedom Riders, Trumpauer and others were jailed in Jackson, denied bail and hauled off to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman where they were subjected to degrading treatment.

What makes Trumpauer’s story even more compelling is that, as a white Southerner, she realized this country should live up to its creed that everyone is created equal and should have equal rights.

We must honor those who sacrificed to make this state and country better. Since 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer, we should make sure that those who stood for us to make sure we have the freedom we have today are cherished.

They deserve our gratitude.

Black citizens, white citizens and those of other races are all working together to make this country better, and sometimes we forget their sacrifices.

There are a lot of programs planned in the Jackson area to highlight the anniversary of Freedom Summer. Please don’t let this historic occasion go by without taking part in some of the activity.

When I think about the Freedom Summer of 1964, I think today of the possibility that every young person of color can pursue his or her dreams.

The state and country aren’t perfect. Racism still exists and probably always will.